


Running On Secrets

by In_Time_of_Peril



Series: Things We Did In The Time War [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/F, Gen, Time War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:44:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3812689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Time_of_Peril/pseuds/In_Time_of_Peril
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a tight spot during a tense mission, Ace finally reveals the truth about a few things.<br/>(Takes place just after <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3812605">Accidents Happen</a>.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running On Secrets

They dodged down another corridor, and Mel found herself stopping short to avoid ramming into Ace, who had paused in mid-stride and started backing slowly toward where they had come from.

“What…”

“Shh.  Please, just - here, quick!”

Ace ducked into a small alcove, pulling Mel after.

“Just keep still.  Very still.”

Fingers curled, iron-strong but somehow gentle, over Mel’s right shoulder.  An arm was tight around her waist, and Ace’s breath was warm against her neck.  It was rhythmic in a way that seemed different from a simple in-and-out, and then Mel realised that Ace was mouthing something.  She was mouthing numbers, like a countdown.

_Ten-nine-eight-seven-six-five…_

Somewhere in the bowels of the station, there was a terrific explosion.

“Shit,” Ace hissed, then slipped away from Mel and out into the corridor again.  
“Come on.  We can get out this way.”

They spent the next half-hour crawling through a series of ventilation shafts.  Twice, they came to dead ends, and the last time, even Ace seemed defeated.

“Shit.  Shit, shit, shit.”

“Ace, what’ll we do?”

“I - I dunno, Mel.  I - I screwed up.  For good this time, maybe.”

“Look, if I can go back partly the way we came, I think I can find access down to where my ship is.  We can escape, and you can come back later for your transport.”

“That’d be a bad idea, Mel.”

“Wha - why?”

“I don’t think my transport would like it if I left her behind.”

“A ship’s AI won’t…”

“Did I mention my transport’s a TARDIS?”

Mel’s jaw dropped.  When she had control again, she narrowed her eyes at Ace.

“No.  Not once in the past six months that we’ve been running these little missions did you mention you have a TARDIS.”

Ace grinned almost charmingly.

“Must’ve - slipped my mind.”

Shifting around as best she could, Mel scrambled past Ace (blessing the designer who insisted on these ridiculously wide ventilation shafts) and started to crawl back the way they had come.

“Doughnut, where…”

“I’m going to find my ship, and I’m going to get out of here.  Then I’m going to find some way to forgive myself for being cruel enough to leave you behind.”

“Mel, please, I - I’m sorry.  Look, I wasn’t supposed to say anything…”

“Well, that’s never stopped the Ace McShane I knew.  We - we’ve gotten so close lately, and we’ve done things that - that I thought meant something.  I thought we trusted each other, Ace.”

“We did.  We do.  I trust you Mel, only - only I’ve got to be careful.”

“We’ve both got to be careful.  It’s sort of in the job description, right after ‘take down Daleks’ and ‘liberate prisoners of this bloody war.’“

Mel crawled a little further along the passage before stopping and glancing back.

“You’ve got a TARDIS.”

“Yeah.”

“So you’ve got a TARDIS key.”

“That’s generally how it works.  Yeah.”

“Is your TARDIS fitted out for - oh, who’m I kidding, of course if would be.  If you’ve got a battle TARDIS, you’ve got a summons beacon on your key!”

“How would you know that?”

Sighing, Mel shook her head.

“I’ve been to Gallifrey more than once, and I’ve known a few Time Lords.  You pick things up.”

Ace looked just vaguely amazed, and then she was fishing something out of her pocket.

“Mel, you’re a genius.”

“Some would say that.”

There was a strange creaking along the tunnel, and then Ace crawled toward the dead end, tapping the sheeting until she found a section that sounded off.  The key was applied and the sheeting swung away.

“After you,” Ace said, ushering Mel into the TARDIS.

“Thanks.”

Once they were safely ensconced, Ace started the TARDIS up and they were away from the station.

“There goes my lovely little scouter,” Mel sighed wistfully.

“Ah, we’ll getcha a new one.  Better one.  Although, ya know, you could just travel with me.”

“I suppose…”

“It’d be quicker.  No more waiting around at rendezvous points, no more awkward leaving places separately the morning after…”

“Well, I’m not so sure we’ll have more morning afters.  I mean, how do I know you haven’t been lying to me about everything?”

“I haven’t, Mel.  I swear.  I just - look, I feel weird, trying to be me, to stay me, and to be what I’ve become at the same time.  I - just…”

Mel reached across the console and patted Ace’s hand.

“It’s all right.  Everyone lies in wartime, I suppose.”

“But - I haven’t lied about everything.  Not all of it.  I - I really like spending time with you.  And what I said that night on Tislein…”

“At the observatory?”

“Yeah.  I - I meant that.  I don’t say it much, but - when I do, I mean it.”

“Oh, Ace…”

“And look, this is probably a bad time, because you’ve got to still be mad at me, like you’ve every right to be, but - I’ve been wanting to ask since that same night - would you marry me?”

Ace was looking straight at Mel, no waver, no flicker of the gaze.  Her hand had turned, and she was gently cupping Mel’s palm with her own.

“Ace, I - I’ve never - I do love you, really, and…”

“Don’t - feel like you have to answer at all.  It was dumb of me to ask, to think…”

“Yes.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, Ace.  Yes, I’ll marry you.”

“You - really?”

Mel nodded, and a moment later she found herself swooped up into the tightest hug she had ever known.

“I’m not gonna lie to you anymore,” Ace whispered.  
“I never meant to anyway.  And from now on…”

“Ace, don’t - don’t worry about that right this second, hmm?  We’ve got plenty of time to worry about the future as it comes.”


End file.
